


Smart Enough

by EddieFook



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Barista Castiel, Lawyer Sam Winchester, M/M, Supernatural AU - Freeform, mechanic!Dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:30:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2403578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EddieFook/pseuds/EddieFook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was my first fic that I wrote instead of writing my final paper for my grad class. So you know it's going to be good since it comes with the added flavor of procrastination.</p>
<p>Based on the "Hella fucking gay barista" prompt but with a twist. It's mostly all fluffy fluffly, but I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoy, and comments are more than appreciated!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yup, that's my number

Heavy rock music blasted Dean awake, cussing he groggily reached for the alarm to swat it off. Unfortunately his aim was off and he knocked his book and the water glass on top of it went flying.

“Son of a bitch.” He grumbled and opened his eyes enough to find the snooze button on the alarm.

Dean’s mood didn’t improve when he found that Sam had finished off the milk the night before.

“Damn it Sammy!” Dean cursed not worrying about being loud. His brother may be the smart college student and Dean may be the dumb dropout but he deserved his damn cereal with milk.

“What Dean?!” Sam yelled coming into the kitchen, his hair disheveled and angry. “What is so important that you had to wake me up?”

“When you finish the milk you put the carton in the garbage not back in the fucking fridge.” Dean spat, already he wasn’t looking forward to work and this was just icing on the cake.

“The garbage was full…” Sam started but stopped at the look on his brother’s face.

“Then be a grown up and empty it!” Dean stomped out of the small apartment he and his brother shared. He kicked his motorcycle to life and started his way to work. Halfway there he saw a small coffee shop and his stomach rumbled. Parking his bike on the curb Dean strode toward the shop.

In the window someone had taped a piece of paper which had a picture of a guy and someone had written under it in sharpie: “The Barista is Hella Fucking Gay. Girls give him your number and get him embarrassed, it’ll be funny.” Dean shook his head at the cruelty of others and in one deft move he ripped the sign down.

He entered the store and saw three large dudes in the corner glaring at him. _Must have been their sign_ Dean thought as he sneered at them.

The man in the picture was behind the counter and Dean’s breath hitched when he looked into those blue eyes.

“What can I get for you?” His voice was tired, apparently the men had been hassling him. His hair was dark brown and stood out at all different ends. There was a bit of flour on his chin and Dean brushed his own chin to let the man know. The barista broke into a grin and swatted the flour away and looked again at him waiting for Dean’s order.

“Coffee black, and you got any muffins?” The man nodded and Dean got Dean’s order ready. When the blue eyed man handed Dean his order and receipt Dean glanced over his shoulder at the meatheads.

Making a show of it he wrote his number down and handed it over to the man behind the counter. The man’s face lost all color and Dean felt like an absolute douche. _Nice fucking work Winchester,_ he screamed at himself, _well might as go for it._

“Here’s my number,” he said loudly, “Because I’m _hella fucking gay_.” He tossed it down, grabbed his things, and flipped off the dudes in the corner as he walked out of the coffee joint.  He didn’t look back, either he was scared to see the look on the man’s face or he just didn’t want to make things worse for the man behind the counter. _He had a good vibe,_ Dean thought as he got back on his motorcycle, _like when you know you’ve meet a good person_.

Dean went through the motions at work. After their parents died when Dean was 16 he moved Sam across the states getting away from the bad memories. Dean lied about his age, dropped out of school, and got a job at a mechanics. Now it was ten years later. As much as he grumbled Dean liked his life. He beamed with pried when Sam graduated with high honors  from high school and a full scholarship to the local college. Sam would be graduating this spring and he was off to get his law degree at Harvard.

Dean still couldn’t believe his little brother would be going to Harvard. The thought filled his stomach with dread though, Sam was leaving and Dean had never really been on his own. He had a wild dream that he could follow Sam, but it died quickly. Sam needed to make his own life, and Den knew that. But Dean had been Sam’s mother, father, and brother for ten years and he was having hard time letting go. Ten years of cutting crusts, seeing him off to school, teaching him to dance for prom, it was hard getting used to the idea of not having someone to care for.

Before Dean’s mind could go again in another endless circle of The Future his phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Dean?” the voice on the other end was the deep voice of an unfamiliar person but one that put Dean at ease at the same time.

“Yeah?”

“It’s Cas, Castiel…” Dean stayed silent waiting for the voice to go further. “I work in the coffee shop… you left your number...”

“Oh yeah…you’re the…”

“Hella-fucking gay barista?” there was a lightness in Cas’s voice and Dean couldn’t help himself joining in. At different points in the day without bidding he’d been thinking of the unruly brown hair and scruff that covered the barista’s jaw. He’d wondered if those ass hats had given the man any more trouble after he’d left.

“You may need to tell me more, I meet a lot of hella-fucking gay baristas.” Dean didn’t think what he was saying, words just came easily talking to this stranger.

“You unfortunate man,” Cas teased back and Dean found himself turning pink and smiling. Broadly.

“My cross to bear.”

The voice laughed loudly and earnestly. “Listen I wanted to thank you for this morning. I was hoping I could take you for a beer…” It sounded like he had practiced those two sentences all day. Before his brain could process Dean heard himself saying yes and they agreed to meet up the next night.

Dean caught himself grinning throughout the next day for no reason. It was because he talked to someone who sense his humor, he told himself.

A few hours later Sam found Dean trying on different flannel shirts.

“Got a date?” the younger Winchester asked with a Cheshire cat smile.

“Shut up.” This only added to Sam’s laughter which followed Dean done the hall, wavered behind him while he fetched his keys, and even permeated into the hall after he shut the door. _Maybe I won’t miss him when he moves out._

Dean went out around the back and got out his baby. Most days he rode his motorcycle but he loved taking his dad’s old Impala out from time to time.

Cas had asked Dean to pick him up near the college and when Dean pulled up Cas was hard to miss. He was wearing yellow shoes, a blue shirt with clouds all over it, and pink sunglasses.

He caught Dean staring as he slung his bag in the back seat. “I like color,” he said it simply and Dean nodded.

“I like color too,” he said and Cas beamed at him. “Though I don’t look good in color, mostly just plaid and jeans for me.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Cas took advantage of Dean’s driving and slipped his sunglasses on Dean’s face. “I think you look good,” and Dean grinned like an idiot.

They reached a bar Dean had been to before and Cas got a table while Dean got two beers.

“Will you look at that,” a guy nudged his buddy and Dean recognized him from somewhere. Dean turned in the direction they were snickering in. Cas had found a table and had pulled out knitting needles and was working with a green yarn, his tongue sticking out slightly.

Dean should have been embarrassed, what dude knits? What dude knits _in a bar_?  But none of those feelings came. What did come, oddly enough was admiration. Cas had the balls to knit in public and that was fine by Dean. He paid for the beers and returned to the table.

“What are you making?” Dean set the beer down in front of Cas who seemed so determined it looked like he was going to sweat blood.

“What does it look like?” He waved the work in front of Dean. It was a sort of lumpy rectangle full of holes.

“I dunno, a sock?” Dean said as he sipped his beer and Cas almost fell off his chair laughing not caring if he was causing a scene. _This guy really has no fear_ , Dean thought as he looked at those blue eyes.

They spent the better part of two beers just talking about their day to day lives. Cas was a graduate student, getting his master’s in psychology “I just like the way people think.” Cas was also fascinated with Dean’s job as a mechanic, which embarrassed Dean to no end.

“It’s not that great, I’m the dumb one in the family, Sammy is the Harvard one. I just put cars together.” He was about to go on but Cas put his hand gently on Dean’s arm the entire world faded away in that comforting gesture.

“Don’t call yourself dumb Dean,” Cas said it softly, “You can do so many things.” He pulled his hand away and picked up his needles.

“That may be true but I can’t knit.” Cas let out a genuine laugh and this time Dean noticed the man staring at them from the bar.

Cas noticed Dean looking and caught the eye of the men at the bar. “They’re regulars in the coffee shop.” He said it quietly, sadly.

Dean clenched his jaw, there was something in Cas’s voice that told him the sign wasn’t the first incident. Dean was ready to get up and punch the living shit out of those meat heads but Cas put a hand on his shoulder. Again the music and musk of the bar faded under Cas’s hand.

“Let’s go,” Cas downed the last of his beer and Dean did the same. When they were out in the evening air the heat in Dean’s blood cooled.

“I don’t know how you do it, man,” Dean looked at Cas behind him. In his tee-shirt Cas shivered so Dean shrugged out of his leather jacket and threw it over Cas’s shoulders, “You’re totally fearless, I’m not like that.”

“Dean I’m not fearless,” Cas said it to his shoes, “I run away…” he paused, “You were ready to fight for me.” It wasn’t a question, and Cas looked at Dean with his eyes squinted, his head tilted as if he were trying to figure out if Dean were real or not.

“That’s nothing,” Dean blushed, “I’m good at fighting, nah, what you do is far better. You were _knitting_ in there.” Cas looked up thinking Dean was making fun of him, but Dean was looking at Cas with awe and he smiled.

They silently got into the Impala and Cas gave directions to where he lived. He seemed a bit embarrassed at the small apartment building but brightened when Dean told him that his building was only a bit bigger.

“And I have to share with Sam.” Dean paused his stomach clenching for a moment, “I don’t suppose you share with anyone, you didn’t say.”

Cas just smiled and shook his head and started to shrug out of Dean’s jacket.

“Nah, you can give it back to me next time.” The words flowed from Dean’s mouth with an ease that he had no idea he had.

Cas smiled at Dean the way Dean had never expected to be looked at. Hell he didn’t ever think he deserved to be smiled at like that. Cas leaned over and kissed Dean sweetly on the cheek while he slid his sunglasses in Dean’s front breast pocket.

“Trade for a trade,” he smirked as he slid out of Dean’s car grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He didn’t look back which was good since Dean was caressing the spot where Cas’s lips had touched his cheek.


	2. Yup, kissing is great

“Dean it’s not that hard!”

“Cas when you master knitting that’s when I’ll get my GED.” Dean sipped his beer and looked at the green blob hanging off of the needles in Cas’s large hands. It had not improved since the first time Dean had seen it four weeks ago. In fact it seemed to have grown wider rather than longer.

The weather was growing colder and Cas and Dean had grown into a comfortable friendship. It was odd how quickly they had been at ease with each other. Dean could tell he was starting to feel things deeper than just friendship with Cas but he never brought it up. He had nothing to give to Cas, his life was simple and he usually messed everything up so why even try to bring Cas into something if Dean couldn’t give enough?

So Dean made up excuses to hang out with Cas. He would call Cas with questions about coffee. He asked if Cas knew how to bake and if he could show Dean. Dean mentioned that Cas was welcome to hang out at his place whenever and Cas had taken advantage which was good for Dean because he was running out of excuses.

“Dean,” Cas said exasperated but he was smiling. They were at Dean’s apartment sitting on the sofa. The original plan was to watch a movie but the film was forgotten as soon as Cas brought out his knitting. Dean was far more interested in watching Cas’s pink tongue stick out as he tried to figure out the messy stitches. After a while Cas had thrown his legs over Dean’s lap and they both relaxed into the couch.

“Dean you are more than capable to get your GED.” This was an idea Cas and Sam had come up with jointly and it was starting to bug Dean. “And,” Cas added, “I’ll help you, not that you would need it.” Dean allowed himself to think about late night study sessions, nothing dirty, just another excuse to spend hours upon hours with Cas and he found himself nodding. Cas clapped his hands in glee and returned to his knitting.

“Let me see that,” Dean plucked the needles out of Cas’s hands and he mimicked the movements he had seen Cas do, or try to do, hundreds of times. Soon the stitches started taking shape and there were less and less holes. Cas watched him with an open mouth.

“How are you doing that?” He leaned in so his face was inches from Dean’s.

“It’s nothing really, I was watching you and I’m just good with my hands.” Dean blushed but it wasn’t out of modesty. This close Dean could smell the sharp scent of old spice and coffee and he found he was breathing deeply trying to pull as much of the scent into himself as he could. He could feel his heart flutter and he almost dropped the needles when he saw Cas’s throat move as he swallowed.

Cas was about to pull away but before he could Dean took Cas’s hands and put the needles in them. Then he covered Cas’s hands with his own and moved the needles in his hands. They knit together for a few rows before Dean cleared his throat and pulled his hands back. Cas’s head was still so close to his so Dean put his hand on the back of Cas’s head and ran his hands through the dark, messy locks. Then Cas turned his head just those last few inches and Dena licked his lips as Cas’s pink lips almost touched his.

“Hey, I’m home!” Sam called from the front door causing Cas and Dean to jump apart. “Jess says hi, guess what? That professor I was telling you about…” Sam chattered away as he walked though the tiny apartment throwing his bag in his room and moving to the kitchen to find some food. Dean and Cas made eye contact once but had to look away because they started laughing. Sam heard the noise and stuck his head out of the kitchen.  “Hey Cas your knitting has improved.” Sam brought his sandwich and plopped down on the floor. Cas leaned back and started to knit again, with little improvement, his tongue sticking out again. Dean couldn’t take his eyes off that pink tongue. It should freak him out that all he wanted to do was kiss this man until they both passed out, right? But he had never felt so sure, so _right_. He felt it all the way down to his core. Yes, kissing this man would be very, _very_ right. Now he just had to get rid of his idiot brother.

Unfortunately Dean couldn’t get up the courage to ask Sam to leave. Every time he opened his mouth he would glance at Cas and the dork would be so involved in his fucking knitting that Dean would lose his nerve.

At half past midnight Cas finally put his yarn and needles down. He yawned loudly and stretched. Sam had fallen asleep long ago and his head rested heavily on Dean’s leg. When neither of them could wake the younger Winchester Dean slung one of his brother’s arms around his shoulder and heaved him up.

“It has been a long time since I tucked you in Sammy.” He panted and he was able to balance Sam as he pulled the covers down. Sam seemed to know where he was because he curled up on the bed and Dean threw the blankets over his younger brother.

When he returned Cas had an odd expression on his face, it was like the time when they went out for beers the first time. Like Cas couldn’t figure out if Dean was real or not. 

“What?” Dean looked down at himself, “What?”

“Nothing, I just have never seen, I never knew how good of a parent you were.” Dean scratched the back of his neck and looked at his shoes.

“I’m not that great,” Dean cleared his throat and when he looked up Cas was one tiny, little foot away from him.

“Damn it Dean, you should know how fucking amazing you are.” Dean couldn’t move for a moment. No one had ever told him he was amazing. He just did what he had to do. Duty. That was Dean’s middle name. Yet here was this dorky man, the man who managed to get flour everywhere, the man who wore bright colors, the man who knit, this man thought he was amazing.

Dean pushed out his shaky hands and pulled Cas into him by his belt buckle. His other arm wound into Cas’s hair again. He ran his fingers through the dark hair and took a moment to breathe in the coffee and old spice. Cas wound his fingers together behind Dean’s lower back and waited patiently.

Dean felt like he was on the part of a roller coaster the second before it took the first drop. Green eyes stared into blue for that one millisecond before they crashed down. Oh and the kiss, kissing this man felt so good and perfect. Dean traced Cas’s scratchy cheek bones as they kissed and breathed together. He felt sweat build behind his knees when Cas opened his mouth and traced his tongue across Dean’s sealed lips. They parted easily and soon the two tongues were exploring their partner’s mouth. Cas’s hands no longer stayed docile behind Dean’s back but they ran up and down tracing muscles as they went. Dean was content where his hands were, pulling Cas in as close as he could.

When they pulled away they were both panting and neither wanted to let the other go. Cas kissed Dean’s neck lightly then started to pull back.

“Well, I have to say that I’m glad my barista is hella fucking gay.” Dean said when he finally regained the portion of his brain that controlled speech.

He was content to sit and listen as Cas’s laughter flowed out the door and down the apartment hallway as the man he was falling for walked away.


	3. Yup, You're My Boyfriend

Dean had never felt his life go any better. He had thought he was content and needed nothing more but Cas had changed all that.

It was mid-October and starting to get colder, Dean was thinking he was going to have to garage up his motorcycle pretty soon. He wanted to take Cas out on it before he put it away. Cas had mentioned he’d never been on a motorcycle and Dean wanted to change that. His mind would get fuzzy and he usually dropped whatever he was holding when he thought about how Cas’s thighs would be pressed into his and how Cas would wrap his arms around his waist. _Clang_ , there went his wrench.

“Boy where’s your head?” Bobby, the owner, looked up at him. He rolled his eyes when he saw the dreamy look on Dean’s face. Bobby had become almost a second father to Sam and Dean. When a 16 year old Dean rode into town in his black Impala it was Bobby who pretended not to notice how skinny both were. He nodded and gave Dean a job when the boy boldly said he was 20 and ready for work. Dean had never known it was Bobby who had covered the rest of the rent that Dean couldn’t pay. And now he looked at Dean who was so love struck and a happy bubble was in his gut.

“Sorry,” Dean grabbed the wrench and started work again. It was a busy time for Singer Auto, a classic car show was in three weeks so owners were bringing in their cars to get them ready. Dean had been going in at seven in the morning and usually not finishing until ten or eleven at night. Because of this he hadn’t seen Cas for nearly a week. He felt bad but Cas was just as busy with midterms and he was preparing for his dissertation which would start after Christmas.

Dean fumbled with a part again and Bobby let out an exasperated sigh. He’d been having to deal with Romeo for days now.

“Alright get out of here lover boy.” Dean looked up in surprise, “You heard me, you’ve put in enough time this week, get.” Dean was reluctant but when Bobby started hitting him with an oil rag he ran to the bathroom to wash up.

After he was clean he pulled his phone out and texted Cas: “Bobby gave me the night off, what do you want to do?”

His phone beeped almost immediately; “I’m at the library.” Dean’s face held a goofy grin for miles as he rode his bike toward the college. On the way a store caught his eye and he parked outside it and walked in.

Inside he could tell instantly why Cas wanted to knit so badly. There were boxes overflowing with jewel toned yarn, soft yarn that felt like clouds, and even yarn so thin Dean thought he might have been able to floss with it. Cas had left his needles and yarn at Dean’s place and Dean had been playing with them. It was fun, he decided and he felt closer to Cas while he did it. Dean wandered and his eyes settled on a yarn that made him think of Cas right away. It was bubble gum pink and it slowly evolved into a deep shade of amethyst. He grabbed five balls and walked to the counter.

The woman behind it smiled broadly at him, “Making a sweater?”

“Oh I hadn’t really thought…” but a light filled his eyes when he imagined Cas wearing _his_ sweater. “Yeah, but I’ve never…”

The woman smiled again and held up the yarn, “Well this is perfect for sweaters, we have a beginners pattern here, do you have needles?” Dean shook his head. “Well, you’ll need these,” she placed two sets of needles on top of the yarn and then went over the pattern with Dean. She didn’t bat an eye when he said he didn’t know how to start. Her advanced fingers showed him how to cast on and how to purl since all Dean knew was the knit stitch.

“If you have any other questions we have an open knit night here on Thursdays. You may want to come in when you get to the sleeves.” Dean thanked her over and over to which she said “I just love new knitters.”

He shoved the yarn and needles to the very bottom of his bag under all his GED textbooks. This was going to be difficult but he wanted it to be a surprise.

Cas wasn’t hard to find when Dean got to the library. This university had one huge quiet room to study with about sixty tables. Cas was wearing what Dean called a Cosby sweater, a mix of colors in a pattern that went nowhere. He had papers spread out neatly over the better half of his table and his hair was sticking on end.

He was running his hands through his hair again when Dean came up behind him and kissed his scalp. Kissing was as far as they had gone; there was the first kiss, then a steamy one in the car, and last week one whole glorious night where they did nothing but lie on the couch and make out. Dean’s lips had been chapped and raw the next day but he didn’t care. Sam laughed himself hoarse but Dean eyes glazed at the thought of how at one point in the night when they were rolling around and Cas’s entire weight rested on Dean like a warm heavy blanket. Dean had explored more and more of Cas’s fantastic anatomy that night and when he had grabbed Cas’s ass while Cas ran his hands through Dean’s hair Dean decided it blew any other kisses or sex encounters out of the water.

Cas smiled up at Dean but went quickly back to his case studies. He wanted to have a solid thesis in place to take to the board early so he was running himself hard. Dean sat across the table from Cas and pulled out his GED textbooks. He was supposed to take the history and science test next week and he refused to admit to either Cas or Sam that he was nervous. Bobby had called him an idiot when Dean had worried out loud that Cas might dump him if he didn’t pass his test.

Dean was tired of being the dumb one but he was sure he wasn’t smart enough to pass these tests. Some of his doubts must have read on his face because Cas dropped his pen and papers and grabbed Dean’s hands.

“What is it?”

“It’s just I don’t know, what if…” Dean looked into the understanding and patient blue eyes, “What if I don’t pass these tests?” Cas smiled warmly at him and squeezed his hands.

“Then I’ll still have a crazy, super-hot, absolutely amazing boyfriend,” Dean’s jaw went slack after the last word. They’d never labeled whatever this was but now his heart was doting crazy flip flops and he felt he could take on the world. “But you’re going to pass, Dean, you’ve gone through the material in half the time it takes normal students.” He pulled Dean forward and kissed him chastely. “You’re going to pass,” he whispered into Dean’s lips and they both fell back.

They both studied for another hour and Dean’s confidence soared as he went over his material, and hearing the word _boyfriend_ over and over again.

He was so into it that he almost didn’t notice when a swooshing sound came across their table. Cas’s neat piles of case studies had all flown to the ground and a large man was standing next to the table.

“Oh _sorry_ ,” he said snidely as his buddies snickered behind him. Dean was about to jump up when Cas’s hand went to Dean’s knee under the table. The man looked over at what Dean was reading and his smile became broad and cruel.

Before anyone could say anything the librarian came into to tell them the library was closing in fifteen minutes. The men left and Dean helped Cas pick up the ruined piles. Dean almost couldn’t see straight, rage was clouding his eyes. Cas put a hand on Dean’s cheek and pulled him into a kiss. The kiss was so sweet that Dean’s anger ebbed away like the tide.

When they had packed everything away Cas handed Dean his bag and said something about grabbing one more case study for the weekend and that he would meet Dean out front.

Dean waited fifteen minutes, then twenty, then twenty-five. He tried to go back in the library to search he stacks for Cas but the building had locked behind him. At thirty minutes Dean pulled his cell out and called Cas but Cas’s bag started to ring.

“Every fucking time,” Dean muttered. As he was hanging up he saw one of the three men who was harassing Cas walking quickly across the quad in the darkness. Silently Dean followed and when the guy went into an alley Dean stayed in the shadows.

There was a wet smacking sound and dark laughter when Dean got close enough. His blood went cold. The three men had someone huddled at their feet and they were taking turns hitting them around the head. When the figure held out his arm the biggest of the three stomped on it so hard Dean could hear bones breaking. The man screamed and cradled his broken arm to his chest.

The newest guy grabbed a handful of the man’s hair and held his face up to the light. It was bloody and swollen but Dean would know that face even if it was in a bag.

He didn’t think anymore but simply dropped his bags and rushed at the three guys. He ran so hard into one that he slammed the guy into a wall and knocked the breath out of him.

The second caught Dean on the jaw with his fist when Dean was getting up.

“Is that all you got?” Dean spit blood out on the pavement, “My kid brother could hit harder than you when he was _ten_.”

The man roared at him but Dean was ready. He used the man’s momentum to crash him into the garbage dumpster. His head hit with a clang and he slumped to the ground.

“Well you may be an idiot fag but you can fight,” the last was the biggest of the three. He grabbed Cas by the hair and dragged him up. “This your boyfriend faggot?” Dean saw only red as he lunged at the man.

He punched him in the kidney and then the eye. The man raised his fists and landed one good punch to Dean’s left eye, but his moves were sloppy and Dean could deflect them easily. Dean kept his arms and fists tight to his body and soon the meathead had as many bruises as Cas did.

After a brutal punch to the jaw the man held up his hands.

“I might be an idiot, and I might be gay, but at least I’m not a fucked up, shit backwards douchebag.” Dean’s voice was terrifying as he stood over the man. He then went, picked up Cas as gently as he could, and grabbed their bags.

It was only until he reached his motorcycle did Dean allow himself to be truly afraid. Cas’s breathing was shallow and his loud moans were now only light whimpers.

“I know, I know baby just hold on.” Dean didn’t think about how he had never called anyone baby before, he only focused on getting Cas on the motorcycle and hopping on behind him.

Dean murmured words of encouragement all the way to the hospital. Every time they passed under a streetlight and the orange glow bounced off Cas’s bloodied face Dean’s core became colder. By the time they got to the hospital Cas’s eyes were terrifyingly dark. 

Dean ignored the shouts of people as he dropped his bike outside of the ER doors. He cradled Cas again and carried him inside.

The staff immediately went into action, they got as on a bed and whisked him away and Dean was left alone and terrified in the waiting room. A nurse came out to check his injuries but other than a split lip and black eye Dean was fine.

He must have called Sam at some point because his brother came with a bag of clean clothes. Dean hadn’t realized he was covered in Cas’s blood until Sam held a clean shirt out for him.

“So what happened?” Sam asked when Dean came back from changing. Dean filled him in and Sam’s rage built with every second. “I’m going to kill them.” He was practically breathing fire.

“I took care of them,” Dean said it simply, “I don’t want you getting hurt too.” He said sharply and Sam looked down.

“So has anyone come out with an update?”

“No,” that was what grabbed Dean’s guts with an icy hand. Every time someone official walked past Dean rose expectantly.

“Ok, go and tell the front desk you’re Cas’s husband.” Dean looked at his brother in shock. “It’s only family back there Dean, being a boyfriend might not be enough.” Dean nodded mutely. “Wait give me your keys, I drove the Impala here and when you take Cas home you won’t want to be on your bike.” Dean nodded again not really used to the role reversal that was happening. Sam handed over the bag and took Cas and Dean’s book bags, “There’s another set of your clothes in there for Cas.” Sam turned to leave but Dean pulled him into a bear hug.

“How did you get to be such a good man?”

“I had someone great to look up to.” Sam patted Dean’s back as tears came to Dean’s eyes.

“I was so scared Sammy.” He whispered and Sam patted him again.

“I know, but he’ll be fine now.” Sam reassured his brother. Dean wiped his eyes and waved Sam off after asking him to call Bobby tomorrow morning.

The husband thing worked like a charm. The nurses and doctors apologized over and over and immediately brought him back to Cas’s room. They had given him a sedative; he had three broken ribs and a broken wrist. He didn’t have a concussion but the doctor thought one of his broken ribs might have punctured his lung, they would know more once the tests came back.

Cas looked so small on the bed. The white sheets and gown made him look pale and the tubes sticking out of him terrified Dean. His breathing was deep and his eyes fluttered lightly, but he didn’t look like the Castiel that Dean knew. The doctor kept speaking but Dean didn’t hear. He thought he processed something like “your husband will be fine,” or something like that, but he had made it to the side of the bed and was stroking the side of Cas’s face that wasn’t covered with horrible bruises.

Dean was struck how fragile Cas was and he sank into a chair, tears filling his eyes again. The doctor had left and Dean listened to nothing but the soft sound of Cas’s machines beeping. He placed Cas’s IV hand over his own, the other was covered in a thick white cast, and Dean lay his head on the bed next to Cas’s hip. He tied to smell old spice and coffee, but all he could smell was the disinfectant of the hospital.

Dean must have fallen asleep because when he woke sunlight was streaming through the small window. Someone had come and covered him with a blanket, but that wasn’t what Dean noticed. What Dean noticed was that the bed was empty. Cas was gone.

Dean went into full on panic mode as he rushed around the room. A small door to the side opened and Cas came out drying his hand.

“I was just going to the bathroom…” Cas stopped when Dean held his face like he was holding blown glass and kissed him. The kiss was light and Cas had to push harder because Dean was so afraid of hurting him.

They broke away and Dean helped Cas back into bed, though Cas was moving fine on his own, just a little slower. Dean just sat and stared at Cas, the parts of his face not covered in bruises was back to that easy tan and his hair seemed to have gotten its bounce back. Cas smiled at him and grabbed a slice of toast from his tray. Dean was content just to stare, to assure himself that Cas was alive and fine. He had a matching black eye and bruises across his cheek and jaw, but it was the same dorky, beautiful face Dean had come to know so well.

The doctor came in a time later, “Your lung wasn’t punctured,” He said with a warm smile, “I’m going to prescribe you some pain killers, and then show your husband how to take care of your pressure bandages.” As he turned to get gloves on Cas raised his eyebrows at Dean.

_Now you blew it,_ Dean’s mind screamed, they hadn’t even said the “L” word yet and this was just going to send Cas running for the hills.

The doctor showed Dean how to fix the large bandage across Cas’s chest, and Dean had another moment of blind rage when he saw Cas’s chest had more purple bruises than clear skin.

They filled out the release paperwork and Dean handed Cas some of his extra clothes. When Cas came out of the bathroom in simple jeans and a grey tee-shirt under one of Dean’s faded plaid shirts it took everything in Dean’s willpower not to jump Cas right then and there. He loved Cas’s colors, hell his new favorite color always seemed to be whatever Cas had worn the day before. But there was something about the muted blocks and greys that made Cas shine. It could also be that they were Dean’s clothes too, which sent blood rushing to his face and to lower places too.

Cas took all this in, reading Dean like a book and he shuffled over to Dean wrapping his arms around Dean’s lower back his cast feeling heavy and awkward.

“Now you know how I feel when I see you in these clothes,” he breathed steamily into Dena’s ear. Dean pulled Cas’s head back and plunged his tongue into the man’s waiting mouth. Each pushed so much passion into the kiss that soon Dean was rubbing himself against Cas’s hip. He groaned when Cas pulled away.

“I don’t think I’m quite ready for that, _husband_.” He smirked and Dean was brought back harshly to earth when he took in his surroundings and Cas’s injuries.

“I’m sorry about that,” Dean said quickly not wanting to look at Cas, “They wouldn’t let me in just being your boyfriend…”

“Oh well I’m not—”

“I know you’re not my husband,” Dean spoke over Cas.

“Sorry,” Cas finished, “I’m not sorry, I like being called your husband, makes me feel special.” Cas wound his fingers into Dean’s and they made their way out of the hospital hand in hand. Dean felt like he was floating when he drove to the pharmacy, when he filled out Cas’s prescription, when he went into the supermarket to get root beer popsicles at Cas’s request.

_This shouldn’t feel so perfect_ , he kept reminding himself as he picked up some of Cas’s favorite juice. _I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and it’s a guy_. But his mind interrupted him with images of Cas bloody, Cas in a hospital bed and Dean gave zero fucks that he was in love with a guy.

At the checkout he saw some neon colored Gerber daisies and he knew Cas would go crazy for them. He grabbed a bouquet and paid the wary cashier. She took in his bruised face and gave him his change quickly, but Dean hardly noticed or cared.

Cas lost it when Dean handed him the flowers and any doubts about falling for a guy were gone from Dean’s mind forever. Cas was speechless sin his joy as Dean drove to Cas’s apartment.

Dean made Cas stay in the car as he went up to grab some of Cas’s things. He filled a bag with clothes, grabbed Cas’s laptop and the six case studies under it. He also grabbed some of Cas’s favorite movies and his dumb air filter that Dean had to admit made his apartment smell better the one time Cas brought it over. With a bag that was nearly ripping at the seams Dean returned to the car as Cas was finishing his second popsicle.

“I don’t know how you can eat those when the weather is this cold.” Dean said as he put the bag in the backseat.

“I had a craving,” Cas looked over and grinned like a dork and Dean just had to laugh.

They returned to an empty apartment, Sam had left a note “At Jess’s studying.” Dean put Cas’s things in his bedroom and went to the kitchen to put the groceries away. There was a container of soup on the kitchen counter with a note on it. “If I see your butt here before Wednesday, you’re fired. Bobby.”

“I didn’t know he could cook,” Dean said as he turned the card over, “Of course I can cook idjit.” Dean laughed till his sides were sore.

Cas was sitting on the couch looking tired, his energy from the hospital was failing and Dean grabbed the comforter off his bed to wrap around him. The doctor had said that Cas would sleep better and heal faster if he slept sitting up. So Dean put a random dvd in the player and sat on the couch pulling Cas in gently to his chest between his long legs. They both settled in and Dean rubbed Cas’s arm absently as the movie played on. Halfway through the movie when Dean thought Cas had fallen asleep he ran his hand through Cas’s dark hair.

“I love you,” he whispered almost not believing it himself.

“I love you too,” Cas murmured and shifted. His breathing rhythm slowed and he was soon fast asleep.

It wasn’t elegant, there were not sweeping gestures or a crescendo of music like you get in the movies, but it was perfect. Dean thought his face was going to split in half, he was drunk on happiness and Cas’s love. He kissed the top of Cas’s head and then rested his head back on the sofa not even registering that the movie had ended. 


	4. Yup, that happened

“Dean! Mail!” Sam slapped a thick white envelope in front of Dean’s cereal. _Department of Education_ was scrawled across the top. Dean’s stomach did about fifteen flips as he reached out and held the envelope in his hands. It was a week before Thanksgiving and Dean had almost gotten himself to forget about his test results.

Sam watched him holding his breath and that was enough to make Dean lose his nerve. Sam’s advisor had told him yesterday that if he got higher than a 3.6 GPA this semester he would graduate with the highest honors. Not to mention the envelope Sam had received from Harvard the week before awarding him an almost full academic scholarship.

Then Cas had come the other night and beamed with the news that he had been granted early admission to work with patients for his case study. He and Dean celebrated that night rolling around on Cas’s bed kissing until they almost passed out. It had been almost three weeks since the beating, but Dean was still nervous about pushing Cas too hard.

Dean thought of all this and his fingers stuck. He grabbed the envelope and slid it in his back pocket. “I’ll open it, I promise.” Sam shook his head as Dean walked out.

All day Dean fingered the side of the envelope. Soon it was covered in grease and wrinkled. Bobby yelled at him to open the damn letter but still Dean hesitated. He worked on three engines and then returned to a beat up roadster that some fool hoped would run again.

After work Dean got into his Impala and drove to the coffee shop. Cas had switched shifts from opening to closing to allow him the time to work with the people involved in his case studies during the day.

Cas was busy with an evening rush of students and his cast was still slowing him down. He joked that as soon as he would get used to it he’d get it off. But that didn’t stop him from getting Dean to cover his cast with neon duct tape. He went nuts when Dean used three different colors to create a wild pattern.

So Dean went to a table and pulled out a battered paperback he stole from Cas’s bookshelf. When it calmed down Cas came over with a warm grilled sandwich and coffee. He’d tried to get Dean to try lattes and cappuccinos but Dean just laughed and said he couldn’t taste the coffee with all that added cream and sugar. He did let Cas put in creamer and sometimes a shot of almond or hazelnut. Though if you were going to add a shot of something it better be Irish Dean said over and over making Cas laugh every time.

Without looking up Dean slid the tattered envelope out of his pocket onto the table. Cas’s eyes went wide but he said nothing.

“Will you…” was all he had to say and Cas whipped the envelope out of Dean’s hands, opened it, and pulled out the thick material. Then he came around behind Dean and held the letter and rested his arms on Dean’s shoulders and his chin in Dean’s hair.

He opened the letter slowly so both he and Dean could read it at the same time. Dean had to read it twice and even pointed out the section he couldn’t believe. Cas laughed and kissed the top of Dean’s head. “Call Sam,” he said and returned behind the counter.

“Yeah,” Dean said vaguely. He couldn’t believe it. “Passed with high marks,” “Impressive pace through curriculum” Dean tried to remember how to breathe. Then he flipped through to the next page and saw a sticky note there and he lost it again.

“Cas! Cas!” Dean rushed to the counter and pushed in front of a customer about to give their order. He barked back some obscenity and showed the note to Cas.

“‘Dean because you tested in the top 10% I passed on your info to the admissions department at IDSU and they would be very interested in having you as a student. Call—’” Cas read his smile getting wider and wider until he was absolutely glowing at Dean.

“I, they…want,” Dean was helpless in his joy at the thought that someone _wanted_ him actually _wanted_ him. He said as much to Cas who continued to beam at him.

“Great, fucking good job, can I get my coffee now?” The man behind Dean said. Dean nodded at him vaguely and moved back to his table. He texted the news to Sam who sent a message back immediately saying: “I KNEW IT!!”

Dean spent the rest of the night reading and rereading the letter he read the sticky note about a thousand times and then, when he thought no one was looking, he started to fill out the application the tester had put in. He had no idea if he even wanted to go to college, he’d gotten so used to the idea that he was nothing more than the dumb dropout that now he had the choice, the chance, his mind was left spinning.

Cas thought he was having an excess of joy when he saw Dean carefully filling out the paperwork. He didn’t care if Dean went to college or if he decided to be a painter, or if he dropped everything and became a ballet dancer. Cas couldn’t care less, but what made him to almost become paralyzed with happiness was that Dean felt like someone wanted him. “I’ve never been wanted.” He said looking at the sticky note.

As happy as Cas was that someone wanted Dean, he also wanted to prove that Dean was needed by others too. When he went to the store room he made a quick call to Sam and told him the plan. Dean’s younger brother was all for it and hung up quickly to talk to Jess. Cas then whispered, pleaded, begged his coworker to let him out of the night cleaning.

“I’ll do you cleaning for two nights,” Cas promised.

“Fine,” she smiled, “Go make out with your boyfriend.” Cas kissed her on the cheek and she laughed.

And with that Cas took off his apron and whisked Dean away from his table without a word.

“I thought you had to clean up?” Dean tried to say as Cas shoved him out the door and into the dark parking lot. “Cas, what the hell—” he tried to say as he was pushed into the closed car door.

“There are plenty of people who want you,” Cas pressed himself against Dean pushing his thigh between Dean’s legs and Dean moaned. “And I’m going to show you.” He latched onto Dean’s lips his tongue crashing into Dean’s gasping mouth. Cas fisted Dean’s hair as his other hand snaked down behind Dean’s belt. Dean jumped under Cas’s touch but his hips bucked when Cas wrapped his hand around Dean’s length.

“Do you believe me now?” Cas whispered into Dean’s mouth as he squeezed his hand and Dean groaned loudly.

“Yes, Cas, oh fuck yes.” Cas smirked into Dean’s neck as he ran his hand a few more times down Dean’s shaft.

“My place?” He asked as he pulled his hand out of Dean’s pants. Dean sighed and put on what was an excellent enough pout that made Cas want to get on his knees now.

Dean knew that look, he figured he was wearing that same fogged up lusted gaze himself. But, “I wanna do this right,” his husky voice broke through their lust.

A drive that was supposed to take fifteen minutes took five and in what felt like seconds both men were shirtless and in a messy bundle on Cas’s bed. Every centimeter of skin was charged with sexual energy and every movement was full of the need to press the other into himself. The room was cool but the heat off of their skin was enough to feel like a furnace.

Dean thought the sound of Cas unzipping his pants and then moving to Dean’s was sexy but then when Cas started moaning as Dean sucked on his nipple…that was a sound Dean was content to hear forever. Dean lost it when he saw Cas’s pink and blue boxers, but started groaning again when Cas moved down his chest, sucking and licking as he went.  Dean rolled his head back and saw white sparks as Cas reached for the band on his boxers.

Dean froze when he realized just where Cas was going, he’d never really been blown before. All the one night stands and girls that he’d dated weren’t interested in putting their mouths anywhere lower than his belly button and Dean didn’t want to force them. Cas stilled his movements and looked up feeling Dean’s tense body.

“Dean?” Dean was glad it was dark, he didn’t want to let Cas see his face.

“It’s ok man you don’t have to…ah,” Cas frowned and pulled up next to Dean.

“Have you ever been with a guy before?” He said it so softly, so gently that Dean shook his head. Cas blushed, “I’m sorry, I thought…the way we kissed, you didn’t hold back…” He leaned in and kissed Dean again, “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.” He whispered to Dean’s lips and the other man melted.

“No, it’s fine, I’ve just never really…”

“Had anal sex?”

“Been blown.” Dean finished quickly.  He didn’t know why he was so nervous, no he knew exactly why he was so nervous: “You’ve had partners, and that’s fine, I’m no saint, but you have all this experience and what if…” 

Cas laughed and kissed Dean passionately again, “Don’t make me out to sound like a pro. We’ll take this slow and if anything doesn’t feel right then we’ll stop. But this,” he leaned down and placed open mouthed kisses all over Dean’s chest, “You’re going to _love_.”

Dean fell back and tried to let his nerves roll away from him. Whatever Cas was doing on his stomach felt awesome, but this was usually the point where the girls stopped. He froze again but only for a second as Cas’s hand traced the outlines of his cock through his open jeans. He had to shift for a second as Cas pulled his jeans and boxers off and he was scared again when Cas stared at him.

“Your cock looks absolutely _mouthwatering_.” He breathed and Dean was almost afraid of the sheer hunger rolling off Castiel. The dark haired man lowered his lips to Dean’s stomach again as his hand moved to massage Dean’s balls. Dean hissed through his teeth as the new sensations raging through his body. Cas moved his hand so he could stroke Dean up and down and soon Dean’s hips were bucking and he was clenching the sheets. Cas slowed his movements and kept his hand looser so that the glorious friction getting Dean off was diminishing.

“Cas,” Dean begged and Cas locked his blue eyes with green as he popped his mouth from Dean’s hip and went to the erection pulsing in front of him. Without breaking eye contact he slid his tongue out and licked the precum off of Dean’s tip. Dean yelled out and threw his head back, before he could comprehend a mouth was latched onto him and was sucking him fully. And the sensations were awesome. He couldn’t stop his hips from bucking like mad into Cas’s mouth, but Cas was experienced enough to swallow around him and Dean couldn’t hold on any longer he wrapped his fingers in Cas’s hair and he came with a roar. Cas swallowed around him and pulled away. He kissed Dean’s hip and made his way up the limp body and kissed a totally sated Dean.

“Sorry man,” Dean said when he could speak, petting dark hair, “I didn’t mean to grab your head like that.” Castiel grinned wickedly.

“Don’t you worry Winchester, when you blow me I’ll be grabbing a whole lot more than your hair.” Dean’s stomach flipped like mad when he thought that Cas was up for a next time. He started to kiss Cas’s chest and moved lower down when Cas stopped him. “Not that I wouldn’t love _that_ , I want you to ride me. I want to claim that ass.” Dean’s stomach dropped but this time it was nerves, not anticipation.

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, yes but if you aren’t ready…”

“Oh hell, pop my cherry.” And Dean stuck his tongue in Cas’s surprised mouth. He pushed his pants and boxers away until he was naked with Dean and he pressed his aching erection into Dean’s hip.

Dean jumped when he felt something hard against his leg, he’d never felt anything like _that_ before. But he was going to go for it, he reached down and swiped Cas a few times and the needy, breathy moans were enough to dispel any fears from his mind.

Cas’s hand meanwhile snaked down Dean’s back and rested in the curve just above Dean’s ass. Dean let go of Cas’s shaft and let Cas flip him so that he was laying on his stomach. He tensed when Cas’s hand rubbed his the cleft between his cheeks but relaxed when the hand continued its gentle massage.

Dean jumped when a finger came to circle his hole and then sighed when the finger was taken away. He couldn’t explain, but now his fears seemed to have evaporated and in their place he felt excitement, the same say he was when he was in the backseat of Lisa-what’s-her-name’s backseat in high school when he lost his virginity. He could feel something big was about to happen and he couldn’t wait.

The finger returned and it was slick with lube and Dean didn’t even pause to be nervous as it sank into him. He grunted at the slow burn and jumped when the finger flexed inside him. Oh shit Cas knew exactly what he was doing. The finger started to pull out and Dean flexed around it to keep it in, and he was rewarded with a deep chuckle behind him. The casted hand came up to hold his shoulder as the finger started to pump in and out. Dean cried when a second finger joined in and by the time a third was added he was hard and rubbing himself into the mattress.

Cas could hardly breathe when he saw Dean was hard again. Once he’d broken Dean in they were going to have a lot of fun. He rolled a condom on and leaned one last time to Dean’s ear.

“Are you sure?”

“Cas you’ve already ruined me for anyone else, you better just fuck me.” Cas needed no other invitation and he pulled Dean’s hips up so he was on all fours. He tried to take it slow but as soon as he was sunk into Dean the man’s moans were enough to break his calm. He shot in and out of Dean and judging Dean’s throaty groans the sandy haired man was enjoying it.

Dean didn’t know what Cas was hitting but every time he thrust in he almost reached this magic spot deep inside him. “Oh, Cas, fuck right there,” he grunted when Cas had made a particularly hard, deep move.

Guessing, correctly, he’d gotten close to Dean’s prostate Cas grabbed Dean’s shoulders and pulled him up so Dean’s back melted into Cas’s chest. Dean’s head rolled on Castiel’s shoulders one of his hands went to Cas’s hip and the other wound itself in dark, messy hair. Cas moved his hands to Dean’s cock and furiously rubbed him.

“Oh fuck Cas,” this was better by far than any other sex Dean had ever had. He hardly noticed when Cas latched onto his neck and sucked hard. “Cas!” Dean yelled as he came all over the bed. His spasm around Cas’s cock sent the man over the edge while he was still buried deep in his lover’s ass.  He pulled out and threw the condom in the garbage and grabbed a towel to clean them up. Dean still lay in a haze not even comprehending the world around him. After Cas was done cleaning Dean pulled him down and kissed him deeply. Their tongues moved together like their fused bodies and Cas sighed when he could feel Dean’s cock shifting again.

“You really do have stamina!”

“I think it’s more you and something different. Good,” he said quickly, “Fucking amazing, the best I’ve ever had,” he pulled Cas down to his chest, “But we’ll be even better next time.” Cas smiled himself to sleep as Dean lay in his post sex sweaty haze he rubbed Cas’s arm absently with a calloused thumb.

Cas rolled in his sleep and lay on his stomach half on Dean’s chest, with his arm thrown across Dean’s body. Dean never liked cuddling, usually after sex he was up and out as quickly as possible. Cas had changed that. Dean got the same orgasmic high when Cas leaned against his chest on the couch. Had it really been only three months, three short little months since Dean had walked into that coffee shop with the sign out front? He looked down at the face that was responsible for changing his life and felt a swell of love and safety. Cas was nuzzled into the crook of Dean’s shoulder and carefully without waking him up Dean kissed Cas as reverently as he could. He fell asleep knowing this was one of those moments where he knew life would never be the same again.


End file.
